This Filipino American Life

On August 8, 2023, Maui experienced the largest wildfire in the “United States” in more than 100 years, killing 101 people and displacing 6,500. National media portrayed the disaster as an unfortunate incident to Maui’s idyllic setting for tourism. However, hidden from this mainstream narrative is the larger context of how the wildfires and its...

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I am a BAD Filipino!” What makes you a “bad” Filipino?  It’s time to confess!!  In this TFAL episode, the crew discusses what makes us “bad” Filipinos…or rather Filipinos who buck the proverbial trend.  Which one of us doesn’t like Jollibee?  Who doesn’t mano po?  Who doesn’t ever...

In this episode the TFAL crew talk with Bayani Teodosio about Bayani Komixtape, the hip hop mixtape follow up to The Realest Bayani, Teodosio’s graphic novel. The crew shares their experience with comic books, pop culture, and learn about Bayani’s origin story that paved the way for the creation of The Realest Bayani. Looking for...

Did you know that there are currently over 1.8 million orphaned or abandoned children in the Philippines?  While formal adoption rates of these children are comparatively low, a significant number of orphaned Filipino children have been transnationally adopted by families in the United States over the decades. In 2000, for example, there were over 10,000...

Here it is again…another edition of Hilaw Pa! For those not in the know, Hilaw Pa is where the TFAL Crew shares our half-baked ideas that should be out there in the world. Of course, we’re not going to do it ourselves – thinking them up is our job. It’s up to someone else to...

How do Filipinos practice indigenous spirituality through Catholicism? Who are these “spirits” our parents or grandparents keep talking about that are around us? What explains the Filipino psyche and the way we make sense of the world? How many souls do we have? Some of these questions have helped many Filipinos and Filipino Americans in...

In this episode the TFAL crew talks with TFAL alum, Michael Arage, and JT of Nevadans for Palestinian Liberation @npl_palestine. In this episode we have a discussion of our history with the Free Palestine movement, why this issue is important to our community, and how we can show our allyship and be a part of...

New year new TFAL?  Or are we back to our usual shenanigans? Actually, for the first time in months, and thanks to Ryan’s terrible internet, we met up in person and recorded an episode! One New Years’ tradition that many of the folks in TFAL (and maybe some of you) partake in is the creation...

Last year, some of us on the TFAL crew had the opportunity to participate in the creation of a special episode of the PBS Socal/KCET show, Lost LA, which focused on the Filipino American community of Southern California.  The episode premiered this week and is available on the PBS website or on YouTube.  In this...

Looks like we made it! TFAL’s 200th episode! (Give or take a few bonus episodes and unreleased things here and there…) Back in October, we recorded our 200th episode live at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Los Angeles. (Well technically, it was our 195th at the time but who’s really keeping...

Before we end 2023, we’re sharing a special bonus episode for you from our friends at Gravy, a narrative podcast produced by Southern Foodways Alliance and distributed by APT Podcast Studios. Named the “Publication of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation, the series showcases a South that is constantly evolving, using food as a...

2023 is almost over!  And to close things out before we get to our grand finale of the year, we decided to do something… a little different?  Or maybe not? In what is apparently essentially in the grand tradition of our reflections on highlights (Episodes 19.5, 140, 157) and/or airing of grievances (Episodes 4.5, 25.2,...

Rondalla. Kulintang. Bamboo poles. Gangsas. Sway balance. DANCE! We all are quite familiar with Philippine folk dances such as Pandanggo sa Ilaw, Vinta, Carinosa, Banga, and of course, Tinikling.  Whether we learned them through P.E. classes back in the Philippines, church festivals in the U.S., on college campuses at a PCN, or even on viral...

When and where does Filipino American history begin?  Is it on October 18, 1587 in Morro Bay, California?  According to our guest in this TFAL episode, this date and time only reinforces a settler colonialist narrative.  Writer and public historian, Adrian De Leon, argues that “Filipino America” actually began in the 1760s in the Philippines. ...

  Many of us have grown up seeing women in our lives rock the duster around the house. The piece of apparel is synonymous with traditionally women’s work. But what if the duster could be updated? What would that look like?  In this episode the TFAL Crew,  sans food appreciator Ryan Carpio, have an intimate...

Have you spoken to your parent(s) about estate planning?  What will happen to their financial assets when they will pass away?  Have you witnessed your family feud over family inheritance or ancestral land?  Have you thought of what legacies you’d like to pass on when you eventually transition to the other side? In this TFAL...

The South of Market, or SoMa neighborhood in San Francisco is a historical place for Filipino Americans for a century.  Throughout its history, many Filipinos have called SoMa home with its affordable apartments, neighborhood amenities, and proximity to jobs in downtown San Francisco.  Community advocates have been established cultural institutions and social services for its...

Have you ever been in constant pain and could not figure out why? Have you ever felt a knot in your back and felt like you could never break it? What happens when family trauma transcends generations and physically manifests itself in your body? In this episode of TFAL join Elaine and Producer Mike as...

How do you pronounce your name?  How do you pronounce your last name?  Do you Anglicize it?  Do you pronounce it differently when talking to other Filipinos or when speaking Tagalog? Do you correct people who pronounce it differently? How would you pronounce the name “Roxas”? In this mini-episode, Ryan, Elaine, and Joe discuss the...

This past month an overzealous group of fans found their way to Lea Salonga’s dressing room after a performance of Here Lies Love. The interaction was then uploaded to the internet for the world to see.   SORRY, NOT SORRY. Christopher Carpila, who drew backlash for uploading the viral Lea Salonga dressing-room video, remained firm...

Where do Filipino Americans hang out?  Where is the place where they are allowed to tambay (Tagalog slang for loitering from the English “stand by”)?  Where are can one find Filipino immigrants and Filipino Americans alike in public places? According to some sociology scholars, the third place in modern capitalist society refers to spaces that...

Most Filipino Americans today live in the suburbs – Daly City, National City, Carson, Jersey City, Skokie, Oxon Hill, and on and on.  When you think of the Filipino American community since the 1970s, we are by and large a suburban community.  There are reasons for this, of course, many of which we focus on...

Did you know April is financial awareness month? A perfect time to drop this episode with MONEY OUT LOUD author Berna Anat. Berna is your Financial Hype Woman/Manang/Ate/Tita. The moniker “Financial Hype Woman” is her made up way of saying she creates financial education media that lives at @HeyBerna all over the internet. Listen as...

We’re back at it again. Part 2 of the ultimate Filipino food tournament!  Listen as we decide between Sinigang and Tinola, Pancit Palabok and Pancit Bihon, and many other hard matchups. Laugh as you listen to TFAL Food Appreciator Ryan nearly gets an aneurysm from our food debates. And of course, find out what is...

This time of year is one of our favorites. It’s March Madness and April is Filipino Food Month. To celebrate these two occasions, the TFAL developed a Filipino Food Bracket! In this Part 1 episode, we explain the parameters of this tournament and go through the first round of 64 Filipino dishes (ulam-only). Listen as...